Anderson East Shares His ‘True Admiration’ for Girlfriend Miranda Lambert

Anderson East's new album, Encore, which came out Jan. 12 and is the follow-up to his breakout 2015 set Delilah, is quickly gaining critical acclaim for its genre-bending curves. However, as most music fans know, East's personal life has been heavily in the spotlight for some time now, as he's the boyfriend of superstar Miranda Lambert.

In an interview with InStyle, the singer shares the secret behind his two-year relationship with Lambert, which has been successful to date despite the pressure of busy careers and a good dose of gossipy scrutiny.

"There's a true admiration there and a large level of understanding on both sides, for sure," he explained. "It's always difficult to be a traveling musician and still keep things together. Understanding is a huge factor."

The album's single "Girlfriend," which East wrote with with Dave Cobb, Aaron Raitiere and Avicii, raised some eyebrows with its lyrics detailing a man coveting a taken woman. When asked if the song was inspired by Lambert, East demurred: "It was something tongue-in-cheek that made us laugh. We were just trying to amuse ourselves."

Lambert and East have collaborated both onstage and off. He co-wrote "Well Rested" and "Getaway Driver" for her The Weight of These Wings album. The song "Pushin' Time" is about their love, and it features the two together.